Licensed Eagle Falconer & Conservationist

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Lauren McGough is a biologist and anthropologist that specializes in human-animal partnerships, and finds nothing more fascinating than golden eagles and our relationship with them.

She is a life long falconer, and spent two years living in Mongolia with nomadic herders who hunt with eagles, first as a Fulbright scholar and later for her PhD. She is passionate about using falconry techniques to rehab young eagles and teaching others this unique method. She has helped crowned eagles, Verreaux’s eagles and many goldens to gain the skills they need to thrive in the wild. She is currently working to use fine GPS data to show fitness markers in these birds and post release tracking data to show the efficacy of falconry techniques in a marrying of traditional ecological knowledge and biological science. In 2025 she started a non-profit, the Golden Eagle Partnership, whose purpose is to bring together falconers, biologists, rehabilitators, citizen scientists and anthropologists in a multidisciplinary approach to protect this true icon of the American west from the increasing threats they face due to lead poisoning, collisions, electrocutions, and declining habitat.

Nature Photographer & Author

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Paul Bannick is an award-winning author and wildlife photographer specializing in the natural history of North America with a focus on birds and habitat. Coupling his love of the outdoors with his skill as a photographer, he creates images that foster the intimacy between viewer and subject, inspiring education and conservation.

Paul is both the author and photographer of two best-selling bird books, Owl: A Year in the Lives of North American Owls (Braided River 2016) and The Owl and The Woodpecker, Encounters with North America’s Most Iconic Birds (Mountaineers 2008). Both of Paul’s books were well received. Washington’s State Museum, The Burke, created two traveling exhibits based on his first book, The Owl and the Woodpecker.  His second book, Owl: A Year in the Lives of North American Owls, received Gold Medal in the 2017 Independent Publisher Book Awards “Animals/Pets” category.

Paul’s photography won awards from several prestigious photography contests, including those hosted by  Audubon Magazine and the International Conservation Photography Awards.

His work can be found prominently in bird guides from Audubon, Peterson, The Smithsonian, Stokes, The National Wildlife Federation, and in several volumes of the Handbook of the Birds of the world. His work has been featured in a variety of publications from The New York Times, Audubon, Sunset, Nature’s Best Photography Magazine, Birds and Blooms, Pacific Northwest (two cover stories), Seattle Times, Alaska Air Magazine, American Way Magazine, and in many other books, magazines, parks, refuges, and other outlets in North America and Europe. He has appeared on NBC Nightly News, Evening Magazine, King 5 and on dozens of NPR stations and programs, including Travels with Rick Steves and BirdNote.

Paul is an accomplished public speaker and has served as the keynote speaker for dozens of festivals, conventions and fundraisers across the country. His photography has been and continues to be a part of several North American traveling exhibits. A special exhibit at the Chi Mei Museum in Tainan, Taiwan recently featured Paul’s work titled Owls of North America: Spirit of the Lands.

After graduating from the University of Washington, Paul worked successfully for 15 years in the computer software industry beginning as one of the original 75 employees of the Aldus Corporation. He later served as a Director for Adobe Systems, and also worked as a senior manager at Microsoft. Wishing to combine his passion for wilderness conservation with his career, Paul turned his attention to non-profit work and currently serves as the Director of Major Gifts for Conservation Northwest, an organization dedicated to protecting and connecting wild areas and recovering native species from the Pacific Coast to the Canadian Rockies.

President & CEO of the International Crane Foundation

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Dr. Rich Beilfuss serves as President & CEO of the International Crane Foundation, providing oversight for ICF programs and partnerships across more than fifty countries in Asia, Africa, and North America.

Beilfuss is a professional hydrologist with 30 years’ experience in wetland conservation and management, specializing in the role of environmental flows for ecological restoration and sustainable development goals. He is an avid unicycle rider, dart-thrower, and birder--but not all at the same time.

Raptor Care Specialists

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Dale Kernahan and John Stokes have a combined 72 years of experience working with raptors.

Dale became a licensed Falconer in 1990 and eventually became Master Rated. She began her professional raptor career in 1993 when she joined the American Eagle Foundation as a Raptor Care Specialist and Wildlife Program Presenter. She helped care for and train various raptors for the Wings of America Show at Dollywood and conducted hundreds of presentations during her time there. In 2002, she left the Foundation and began her next job as a Herpetologist with the Santa Barbara Zoo. In 2004, she relocated to Trenton, Georgia, and began work with Save Our American Raptors. This non-profit organization mainly conducted birds of prey programs at schools, state parks, and civic groups and in 2005, began the Rock City Raptors birds of prey programs at the See Rock City attraction above Chattanooga, Tennessee.

In 2013, Dale and John formed Wings to Soar and continue to do all of the educational programs that began with Save Our American Raptors, including the Rock City Raptors presentations. Dale, along with John, has conducted several thousand raptor programs with S.O.A.R. and Wings To Soar.

John began his professional bird career in 1977 as a Bird Keeper with the Memphis Zoo. In 1978, he started the Memphis Zoo Raptor Rehabilitation Program which annually treated hundreds of injured and orphaned birds of prey. In 1978, John became a licensed Falconer, eventually achieving a Master rating. In 1979, he was promoted to Assistant Curator of Birds. During his time at the zoo, John started
doing educational bird programs, not only at the zoo but at schools, state parks, and civic groups. In 1986, John left the Memphis Zoo and began work with the Cumberland Wildlife Foundation in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. His job was Director of Wildlife and his duties included wildlife rehabilitation, raptor training, and educational programs.

In November of 1989, the Cumberland Wildlife Foundation merged with the National Foundation to Protect America’s Eagles (later known as the American Eagle Foundation). In January of 1991, NFPAE relocated to Pigeon Forge and the Dollywood theme park. His position was that of Edu-tainment Director and his duties were training raptors and presenters for the Wings of America Show, captive breeding, and release of Bald and Golden Eagles and Barn Owls. From 1991-2002, he conducted several thousand programs at Dollywood and various other venues. In 2002, John left AEF and became the Lead Keeper of Birds at the Santa Barbara Zoo. From 2004 to the present, John has worked with Dale at Save Our American Raptors and Wings To Soar.

Director of Conservation Research (ICF)

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Andy is the Vice President of North American Programs for the International Crane Foundation where his work focuses on conservation policy, delivery, and research regarding Whooping Cranes, Sandhill Cranes, and their habitats. His overarching goal is to bring diverse interests together to solve intractable conservation problems. He formerly served as the Lead Biologist and then the Director of Conservation Research at the Crane Trust from 2015 to 2022 where he maintains an honorary affiliation.

Andy’s work in the Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) focused on understanding the response of ecosystems to managed and natural disturbances as well as the habitat ecology and natural history of species of conservation concern.

Previous to his work with cranes, Andy conducted ecological research and advocated for conservation in the Western and Southeastern United States working for the U.S. National Park Service’s Inventory and Monitoring Program as well as the National Science Foundation’s Long Term Ecological Research Program. Andy has a BS degree from North Dakota State University and Master’s degrees from the University of Georgia and Washington State University.

District Naturalist for Alabama State Parks

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Amber Coger has been working in the field of Environmental Education for the past 12 years. Her passion for educating the public about our natural resources has led her across the country volunteering and working for organizations such as Chattahoochee Nature Center, International Crane Foundation, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Florida State Parks, Georgia Aquarium, Biscayne National Park, and The Cook Museum of Natural Science.  During her work with the International Crane Foundation as a Conservation Education Intern and the Whooping Crane Outreach Program Assistant, she discovered a passion for Sandhill and Whooping Cranes which has yet to subside.

Currently, she is serving as the District Naturalist for the Northwest District of Alabama State Parks. Her role as District Naturalist for Alabama State Parks has been a dream come true as North Alabama’s beautiful nature has brought her back to stay permanently since 2022. In August of 2024, Amber and her husband welcomed their first daughter into the world. Amber is looking forward to bringing her daughter and family to all of Alabama’s nature hotspots and to see the cranes at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, of course! 

Conservation Photographer & Author

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Michael Forsberg is a conservation photographer, author, and educator whose 30-year career has focused on wildlife, grasslands, and watersheds in North America's Great Plains. Mike co-founded and directs the Platte Basin Timelapse project–a conservation storytelling project that informs scientific research, builds educational content, and tells stories of a Great Plains watershed in motion.

Mike is a Senior Fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers and on faculty with IANR at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. In 2017, he received the Sierra Club's Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography, and the Environmental Impact Award from the North American Nature Photographers Association.

Mike lives with his family and a collection of unruly animals in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Investigative Journalist

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Lee Hedgepeth is Inside Climate News’ Alabama reporter. Raised in Grand Bay, Alabama, a small town on the Gulf Coast, Lee holds master’s degrees in community journalism and political development from the University of Alabama and Tulane University. Lee is the founder of Tread, a newsletter of Southern journalism, and has also worked for news outlets across Alabama, including CBS 42, Alabama Political Reporter and the Anniston Star. His reporting has focused on issues impacting members of marginalized groups, including homelessness, poverty, and the death penalty. His award-winning journalism has appeared in publications across the country and has been cited by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, among others.

Conservationist & Founder of Connecting Birds and Nature Tours, LLC

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Many may have heard of the “Bird Guy” from Alabama but Christopher Joe is just a guy that’s passionate about the outdoors and conservation of our natural resources. He’s a native of Greensboro, Alabama and a graduate of Alabama A&M University. He’s a District Conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. He resides in Montgomery, Alabama with his wife Christy and 5-year-old daughter Summer Grace.

Connecting with Birds and Nature Tours, LLC was started October 31, 2018, to diversify the family’s Black Angus cattle farm which has been in the family since the mid-1800s. It is located on 200 acres in Newbern, Alabama. The property consists of 6 miles of nature trails that traverse through pastures, bottomland hardwoods, and even a creek.

Their mission is to use the property as a conduit to provide people the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors through activities such as birding, nature walking, biking, and camping. He uses his photography skills also to capture birds and wildlife that he sees while out birding.

To date, they’ve hosted over 1000+ visitors on our property. Featured in multiple magazines, blogs, podcasts, television segments, a birding show called The Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper, and most recently, the BBC produced show named The Travel Show.

Research Associate (ICF)

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Anne grew up in Madison, leaving to attend college in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. She received a B.A. in Psychology (1991) and returned to get a B.S. in Biology (1994). After working various jobs while taking graduate level Geographic Information Systems courses at the University of South Carolina, Anne was accepted to the graduate program in Biology at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. After finishing coursework in Duluth in 2000, Anne accepted an internship at ICF, while also finishing her thesis.

After completion of her M.S., Anne accepted a full-time position at ICF as a research associate in the Field Ecology Department (now the North America Program), working on an ongoing long-term study of Sandhill Cranes. She began working with the ongoing Whooping Crane reintroduction in 2009, to study the ecology of the newly reintroduced population in Wisconsin. She currently supervises four staff and several Fellows annually.

Herpetologist

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Naturalist, field biologist, and outdoorsman, currently working on Alabama's herpetofauna diversity with the Alabama Natural Heritage Program and also in the Conecuh National Forest leading efforts to recover the endangered indigo snake (North America’s largest and arguably most impressive snake species) and restore the longleaf forests.

Artist

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Timothy Joe is a self-taught impressionist artist and instructor based in Huntsville, Alabama. His work focuses on wildlife conservation, with a special emphasis on birds, capturing their beauty and spirit through expressive brushwork and vibrant color. Inspired by the Southern landscape and its rich biodiversity, Timothy uses his art to highlight the importance of protecting natural habitats.

Working primarily in soft pastels and gouache, Timothy blends the emotion and movement of impressionism with close observation of wildlife, creating pieces that resonate with both art lovers and nature enthusiasts. Each painting tells a story—of flight, stillness, survival, and the delicate balance between humanity and the environment.

Beyond the canvas, Timothy shares his passion through teaching, offering workshops and classes that encourage others to connect with nature through art. His approachable style and emphasis on personal expression make him a valued mentor to aspiring artists.

Timothy’s artwork has been featured in exhibitions and conservation initiatives throughout the region, helping to raise awareness for endangered species and the ecosystems they depend on. Through every piece, he hopes to inspire a deeper appreciation for the natural world and the need to protect it for generations to come.